Students reserve the right to say—or vote—”no.”
Before their exit from this year’s AMS executive election, Team JNN was running uncontested. Their campaign sparked a counter crusade—a no-vote campaign led by Allison Mei, Noor Ghunaim, Molly McGill, all ArtSci ’24, and Sophie Sterling, ArtSci ’25.
According to an interview with The Journal, the students running the no-vote campaign did so in hopes of providing Team JNN with the pushback they were lacking in their uncontested election. The campaign sought to encourage JNN to better their policies, rather than coasting through the finish line without an opponent to challenge them to do otherwise.
In a recent op-ed published in the Toronto Sun, former Vice-Presidential (University Affairs) candidate Noah Mawji, ArtSci ’24, reflected on the election and students’ reaction to his team’s platform, mourning the dissolution of both into a nasty affair and a “smear campaign.”
In particular, Mawji cited backlash to his involvement with the Queen’s Conservatives and allyship with the Jewish community. Of course, any expression of antisemitism is harmful and inappropriate, and certainly has no place in an election. Mawji is equally entitled to freely hold and express his political opinions, regardless of his partisanship.
Any attack on either of those affiliations would be undeserved, but neither was the target of the no-vote campaign.
Team JNN’s failure to include support for equity-deserving individuals on campus in their platform sparked concern among students, and subsequently, the no-vote campaign. Given JNN’s apparent inattention to advocacy, student concerns for equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigeneity (EDII) initiatives under their proposed governance was warranted.
Applying pressure to candidates in any election is necessary. Student leaders are no exception, especially given the trend in recent years’ AMS executive teams of failing to take strong stances against the University, even in issues severely impacting students.
Student leaders must be reminded of their responsibilities towards students. Pressure from the public to take strong stances and curate detailed platforms during elections can ensure stronger leadership from the teams elected.
Team JNN’s withdrawal led to an altered election process in which the AMS Special Assembly, rather than the entire undergraduate student body of Queen’s, would elect the next AMS executive team, a process Mawji deemed undemocratic.
Yet the no-vote campaign was a promising sign of democratic and political participation from a student body otherwise often characterized by its separation from student politics.
We should hope for similar engagement in future elections. Students participating in their university elections is democratic—regardless of whether they’re voting “yes” or “no.”
—Journal Editorial Board
Tags
AMS, Elections, Elections2024, no-vote, student politics
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